Father-and-son narrators deliver this literary collaboration between Christopher Tolkien and his father, J.R.R. Tolkien. Samuel West narrates various incomplete versions of Tolkien's story of Tuor's journey to Gondolin and the fate of that city, handling the elevated style and the many fantastic names of people and places with aplomb. Timothy West interjects with Christopher Tolkien's extensive editorial notes. It's an effective presentation, though necessarily disjointed due to the structure of the book--listeners may find that just when they're getting swept up into the flow of a story, it ends abruptly. This audiobook will be best enjoyed by Tolkien completists and anyone interested in the evolution of the mythology that was realized in THE HOBBIT, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and THE SILMARILLION.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
Duration: 8 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This highly emotional audiobook won’t leave listeners dry-eyed.
Kirt Graves tenderly narrates this audiobook about the end of the world. Don and Rodney, married for the last 40 years, have one month left to live as a black hole approaches Earth. They hit the road on a desperate trip across the country to fulfill one last promise. Graves easily distinguishes a variety of characters as they grapple with their impending deaths. He shows remarkable emotional versatility in his depictions of hope, desperation, apathy, and acceptance. Graves gives Rodney a low, gruff, and tough voice, while sentimental Don sounds gentler. Graves’ performance is leisurely paced, letting listeners linger in the stories of the people Don and Rodney meet along their journey.
This highly emotional audiobook won’t leave listeners dry-eyed.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 25 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250435606
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
Smith’s absorbing performance makes each story unforgettable.
This thoughtfully curated collection of the author’s previously published work, smartly narrated by Rachel Elizabeth Smith, highlights the indelible power of language—written and spoken—to release, transform, heal, divide, and connect. Dream-crafters and dreamers, celestial acolytes, imprisoned beings, and the magically transformed are among those who inhabit these tales. A man’s transgressions are carved from his body in “John Hollowback and the Witch”; a woman marked for service to the sun follows a new path in “And Their Lips Rang with the Sun”; a wife is shaped into being against her will in “Florilegia; or, Some Lies About Flowers.” All provide wonderful examples of Smith’s deft pacing and quietly impactful characterizations. Between stories, Smith beautifully conveys poems in English and Arabic.
Smith’s absorbing performance makes each story unforgettable.Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 58 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250436061
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: tomorrow
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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